Bad Moonlight by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online

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Chapter 8

    A BODY IN THE PARK
    â€œA nybody see Joey?” Billy asked the next morning. Danielle sat with Dee, Mary Beth, and Caroline in the hotel coffee shop.
    Mary Beth yawned and brushed back her carrot-colored hair. “Try his room,” she suggested.
    â€œRight.” Frowning, Billy hurried away from their table.
    â€œWho’s got the ham omelette?” the waitress asked.
    â€œI do. And coffee,” Mary Beth added. Dark circles ringed her green eyes. “Lots and lots of coffee.”
    The waitress thumped the plate down and strode off toward the coffeemakers.
    â€œIt’s a good thing we don’t have a show to do tonight,” Mary Beth muttered. “I’d probably nod out during the first song.”
    â€œHow late were you guys up, anyway?” Danielle asked.
    â€œToo late,” Caroline groaned, pushing her blond hair behind her ears. “I’ll be glad to get in the van and sleep all the way back to Shadyside.”
    â€œCoffee,” the waitress announced, hefting the glass pot.
    Danielle picked up her cup and saw a fresh cut on her forefinger. Another split callus.
    â€œWhat happened to you last night?” Dee demanded. “You never came back to the coffee shop.”
    â€œI know.” Danielle remembered starting off on a walk. Nothing else. “I guess I was more tired than I thought. I really conked out.”
    â€œTell me about it,” Caroline replied, rolling her eyes. “I was afraid we’d get a complaint from the hotel about your snoring.”
    â€œJoey hasn’t shown yet?” Billy asked, returning to their table. Kit trailed behind him. “Joey has to bring the van around so we can pack up.”
    â€œSo you’re surprised he’s sleeping late?” Caroline said. “Joey is the best sleeper in the band. He even sleeps while he’s driving!”
    Kit shook his head. “He wasn’t in our room when I got up.”
    Billy turned to Danielle. “He took off a couple of minutes after you did last night. You didn’t run into him, did you?”
    Danielle shook her head. “No. I didn’t see him.”
    Dee set her glass down, splashing orange juice ontothe table. “Joey said something about you when he left,” she told Danielle.
    â€œAbout me?”
    Dee nodded. Danielle noticed that Dee’s hand shook as she mopped up the juice.
    â€œYou okay, Dee?” Billy asked.
    â€œYeah.” Dee glanced at Danielle, then lowered her eyes. “Just fine.”
    â€œAbout Joey,” Kit reminded everyone.
    â€œMaybe he forgot something over at the club,” Caroline suggested.
    â€œGood thinking,” Billy told her.
    â€œManagers.” Mary Beth sighed. “They think musicians are brainless.”
    â€œYeah.” Caroline laughed and waved Billy and Kit away from the table. “Go get Joey and let us finish our breakfast.”
    â€œAren’t you eating, Danielle?” Mary Beth asked, forking up eggs and ham. “You use up a lot of strength during a performance, you know. You shouldn’t let yourself get weak or anything.”
    â€œI won’t,” Danielle assured her. “I’m just not hungry right now.”
    It is weird, Danielle thought. I usually eat like crazy after a performance.
    I can’t still be tired after all those hours I slept, she told herself. But she felt as if she had run a marathon. Every muscle ached.
    She glanced across the table at Dee. Dee’s brown-gold eyes darted nervously away.
    Maybe she feels guilty about the way she treats me,Danielle thought. Maybe there’s a way for us to be friends after all.
    They finished breakfast. Then the four band members met Billy and Kit in the lobby. Their bags were already there.
    â€œDid you find Joey?” Dee asked.
    Billy shook his head, annoyed. “He wasn’t at the club. He’s not in his room. He’d better show soon—or